ACTINIADiE: ACTINIA. 233 



1088.— Actinia Dianthus, Ellis in Pliil. Trans. Ivii. 436, tab. 19, fig. 8 : copied 

 in Encyclop. Method. Vers, pi. 71, fig. 5. Ellis and Soland. Zoopli. 7. Shaiv 

 Nat. Misc. xiii. pi. 539 : (copied from Ellis and coloured from the description!) 

 Tzirt. Gmt\. i\. \Qi. TM/'i!. Brit. Faun. 131. -Sfe;«. Elem. i. 394. Fkm.'Qnt. 

 Anim. 498. — Fourth species of Anemony, Dicqucmare in Phil. Trans, abridg. xiii. 

 638, pi. 12, fig. 9. — A. pentapetala, Penn. Brit. Zool. iv. 104. Berk. Syn. i. 187. 

 Lam. Anim. s. Vert. iii. 71 : 2de edit. iii. 412. Bosc Vers, ii. 259 — Actinoloba 

 dianthus, Z?/«z«!;. Actinol. 322. — A. plumosa. Mull. Zool. Dan. prod. 230 ; no. 2791. 

 Zool. Dan. iii. 12, tab. 88, fig. 1, 2 (drawn when the animal has been in a very 

 relaxed and half-expanded condition), and fig. 4. Tm-t. Gmel. iv. 100. Tiirt. 

 Brit. Faun. 130. Steiv. Elem. i. 394. Lam. Anim. s. Vert. iii. 68 : 2de edit. iii. 

 407. Bosc Vers, ii. 256. Sturh Elem. ii. 412. Cuv. Reg. Anim. iii. 291. 

 Rapp Polyp, 55, tab. iii. fig. 1 (good). Johnston in Trans. Newc. Soc. ii. 246. 

 Micros. Joiu-n. ii. 147. — La Metridie plumeuse, 5/ai««. Actinol. 321. — A. senilis, 

 Barh. Gen. Verm. 53, tab. 5, fig. 5. Adams in Lin. Trans, v. 9. Lam. Anim. s. 

 Vert. iii. 68. Stark Yinm.. ii. 412. — Plydra dianthus, Steio. Elem. ii. 451. — 

 Act. dianthus, W. Thompson in Ann. Nat. Hist. v. 251. 



Hah. — On rocks and shells in deep water or within low tide-mark. 



When contracted the body is of a thick short subcyliudrical form, 

 deeply wrinkled in two or three places, about three inches long, and 

 one-half of that in diameter, but when fully expanded about five 

 inches : the skin is smooth, and of a uniform olive, whitish, cream or 

 flesh-colour. The centre of the oral disc is ornamented with a circle 

 of white bands radiating from the mouth, and the transparency of 

 the skin here permits us to see the lamellte running across the cir- 

 cumference with their narrow colourless interspaces. From these 

 interspaces the tentacula originate ; the largest about one inch long, 

 watery, white, tapered, smooth, irregularly dispersed, and very nu- 

 merous. They are all placed between the mouth and the margin, 

 which is encircled with a dense fringe of inimitable beauty, com- 

 posed of innumerable short tentacula or filaments forming a thick 

 furry border. 



I have seen specimens of this species, which is certainly as Miiller 

 says "actiniarum pulcherrima, " from the size of a split pea to fully 

 five inches in diameter, and have found it, in all the intermediate 

 sizes, uniform in shape and colour. It is strictly gregarious, and the 

 larger individuals are generally surrounded by a multitude of small 

 and middle-sized ones, which form very pleasing groups. From this 

 gregarious habit it is subject to monstrosities ; two or three occa- 

 sionally uniting and coalescing into one body, of which Dicqucmare 



quontly refers to one of these figures for Lis eflceta, the other (tab. 13, fig. 2.) must 

 be considered as representing the true senilis. 



